July 14, 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This proposed rule proposes to implement a new Medicare Part A and B payment model under section 1115A of the Social Security Act, called the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CCJR) model, in which acute care hospitals in certain selected geographic areas will receive retrospective bundled payments for episodes of care for lower extremity joint replacement or reattachment of a lower extremity. All related care within 90 days of hospital discharge from the joint replacement procedures will be included in the episode of care. We believe this model will further our goals in improving the efficiency and quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries for these common medical procedures.

This final rule establishes the National Tunnel Inspection Standards (NTIS) for highway tunnels. The NTIS require tunnel owners to establish a program for the inspection of highway tunnels, to maintain a tunnel inventory, to report the inspection findings to FHWA, and to correct any critical findings found during these inspections.

We are proposing a new rule and rule and form amendments to implement the provisions of Section 954 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, which added Section 10D to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Section 10D requires the Commission to adopt rules directing the national securities exchanges and national securities associations to prohibit the listing of any security of an issuer that is not in compliance with Section 10D's requirements for disclosure of the issuer's policy on incentive-based compensation and recovery of incentive-based compensation that is received in excess of what would have been received under an accounting restatement. The proposed rule and rule amendments would direct the national securities exchanges and national securities associations to establish listing standards that would require each issuer to develop and implement a policy providing for the recovery, under certain circumstances, of incentive-based compensation based on financial information required to be reported under the securities laws that is received by current or former executive officers, and require the disclosure of the policy. A listed issuer would be required to file the policy as an exhibit to its annual report.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve State Implementation Plan (SIP) revisions submitted by the State of South Dakota on July 29, 2013. This SIP submission revises the Administrative Rules of South Dakota (ARSD) Article 74:36Air Pollution Control Program. These revisions include grammatical changes, renumbering, revisions to the date of incorporation by reference of the federal regulations referenced throughout ARSD Article 74:36, and removal of obsolete language regarding variance provisions and clean units. A cross-walk table, which details each individual rule revision in Article 74:36, and the actions EPA is proposing on those revisions, is included in the docket for this rulemaking. EPA is also proposing to clarify a final rule issued on January 29, 2015 pertaining to South Dakota's infrastructure SIP. This action is being taken in accordance with section 110 of the Clean Air Act (CAA).

The Farm Credit Administration (FCA, we, our or Agency) issues a final rule amending our regulation in order to change the address for a field office as a result of a recent office relocation.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a final rule to redefine the geographic boundaries of the Jacksonville, FL; Savannah, GA; Hagerstown-Martinsburg-Chambersburg, MD; Richmond, VA; and Roanoke, VA, appropriated fund Federal Wage System (FWS) wage areas. The final rule redefines Brantley, Glynn, and Pierce Counties, GA, from the Jacksonville wage area to the Savannah wage area; Greene County, VA, from the Hagerstown-Martinsburg-Chambersburg wage area to the Richmond wage area; and Nelson County, VA, from the Roanoke wage area to the Richmond wage area. These changes are based on consensus recommendations of the Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee (FPRAC) to best match the counties proposed for redefinition to a nearby FWS survey area.

We propose to supersede Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2009-18- 15 for all Airbus Model A300, A310, and A300 B4-600, B4-600R, and F4- 600R series airplanes, and Model A300 C4-605R Variant F airplanes (collectively called Model A300-600 series airplanes). AD 2009-18-15 currently requires revising the Airworthiness Limitations section (ALS) of the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness (ICA) to require additional life limits and/or replacements for certain main landing gear and nose landing gear components. Since we issued AD 2009-18-15, we have determined that existing maintenance requirements and airworthiness limitations are inadequate to ensure the structural integrity of the airplane. This proposed AD would require revising the maintenance or inspection program to incorporate new maintenance requirements and airworthiness limitations. We are proposing this AD to prevent failure of certain system components, which could result in reduced structural integrity of the airplane.

NMFS, in consultation with the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council), announces its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on a new management program for trawl groundfish fisheries in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA), in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). The proposed action would create a new management program that would allocate allowable harvest to individuals, cooperatives, and other entities that participate in GOA trawl groundfish fisheries. The proposed action is intended to improve stock conservation by imposing accountability measures for utilizing target, incidental, and prohibited species catch, creating incentives to eliminate wasteful fishing practices, providing mechanisms for participants to control and reduce bycatch in the trawl groundfish fisheries, and to improve safety of life at sea and operational efficiencies. The EIS will analyze the impacts to the human environment resulting from the proposed trawl bycatch management program. NMFS will accept written comments from the public to identify the issues of concern and assist the Council in determining the appropriate range of management alternatives for the EIS.

The Coast Guard is establishing a safety zone that extends 500 meters from the outer edge of the DRILL UNIT POLAR PIONEER. This safety zone will be in effect when the DRILL UNIT POLAR PIONEER is on location in order to drill exploratory wells at various prospects located in the Chukchi Sea Outer Continental Shelf, Alaska, from 12:01 a.m. on July 1, 2015 through 11:59 p.m. on October 31, 2015. The purpose of the temporary safety zone is to protect the drillship from vessels operating outside the normal shipping channels and fairways. Placing a safety zone around the drillship will significantly reduce the threat of allisions, which could result in oil spills and releases of natural gas, and thereby protects the safety of life, property, and the environment. Lawful demonstrations may be conducted outside of the safety zone.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposes to approve two State Implementation Plan (SIP) revisions submitted by the State of Maryland for the purpose of amending Maryland's prior approved Low Emission Vehicles (LEV), or Clean Car Program. Maryland adopted California's emission standards applicable to newly manufactured light and medium-duty motor vehicles in 2007, effective beginning with 2011 and newer vehicles sold in Maryland. EPA approved Maryland's Clean Car Program in prior SIP approval rulemakings. However, since then California revised its LEV program regulations on several occasions, and Maryland subsequently amended its own rules to be consistent with those of California. Maryland then submitted these regulatory amendments to EPA as a revision to its SIP. Maryland submitted two such Clean Car Program SIP revisions in July 2014 and April 2015. In the Final Rules section of this Federal Register, EPA is approving the State's SIP submittal as a direct final rule without prior proposal because the Agency views this as a noncontroversial submittal and anticipates no adverse comments. A detailed rationale for the approval is set forth in the direct final rule. If no adverse comments are received in response to this action, no further activity is contemplated. If EPA receives adverse comments, the direct final rule will be withdrawn and all public comments received will be addressed in a subsequent final rule based on this proposed rule. EPA will not institute a second comment period. Any parties interested in commenting on this action should do so at this time.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking direct final action to approve a revision to the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) portion of the California State Implementation Plan (SIP). This revision concerns volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from graphic arts facilities. We are approving a local rule that regulates these emission sources under the Clean Air Act (CAA or the Act).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve portions of two revisions to the New Mexico SIP for the permitting of PM2.5 emissions submitted on May 23, 2011, and August 6, 2014. Together, these submittals revise the New Mexico PSD program to be consistent with the federal PSD regulations regarding the use of a significant impact level (SIL) or significant monitoring concentration (SMC) for PM2.5 emissions. We are proposing to approve these SIP revisions to regulate PM2.5 emissions in accordance with requirements of section 110 and part C of the Clean Air Act.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is partially approving and partially disapproving State Implementation Plan (SIP) revisions submitted by the State of Arizona to address the requirements of section 110(a)(1) and (2) of the Clean Air Act (CAA) for the 2008 Lead (Pb) and 2008 ozone national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS). Section 110(a) of the CAA requires that each State adopt and submit a SIP for the implementation, maintenance, and enforcement of each NAAQS promulgated by EPA. We refer to such SIP revisions as ``infrastructure'' SIPs because they are intended to address basic structural SIP requirements for new or revised NAAQS including, but not limited to, legal authority, regulatory structure, resources, permit programs, monitoring, and modeling necessary to assure attainment and maintenance of the standards.

We, NMFS, have completed a comprehensive status review under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for three foreign marine angelshark species in response to a petition to list those species. These three species are the sawback angelshark (Squatina aculeata), smoothback angelshark (Squatina oculata), and common angelshark (Squatina squatina). Based on the best scientific and commercial information available, including the status review report (Miller 2015), and after taking into account efforts being made to protect these species, we have determined that these three angelshark species warrant listing as endangered under the ESA. We are not proposing to designate critical habitat because the geographical areas occupied by these species are entirely outside U.S. jurisdiction, and we have not identified any unoccupied areas that are currently essential to the conservation of any of these species. We are soliciting comments on our proposal to list these three angelshark species.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving a Title V Operating Permit Program revision submitted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The revision amends the Title V fee program that funds the Pennsylvania Title V Operating Permit Program. EPA is approving these revisions to increase Pennsylvania's annual emission fees to $85 per ton of emissions for emissions from Title V sources of up to 4,000 tons of each regulated pollutant in accordance with the requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA).

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain serial number GE Aviation Czech s.r.o. M601E-11, M601E-11A, and M601F turboprop engines. This AD requires inspection of the reduction gearbox and supporting cone. This AD was prompted by the determination that wear or cracking, and subsequent misalignment of the quill shaft of the engine and the power turbine (PT) shaft, may lead to rupture of the quill shaft, overspeed of the PT, and uncontained engine failure. We are issuing this AD to prevent misalignment and rupture of the quill shaft, which could lead to overspeed of the PT, uncontained engine failure, and damage to the airplane.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain The Boeing Company Model 737-100, -200, -200C, -300, -400, and -500 series airplanes. This AD was prompted by reports of fatigue cracks found in the upper corners of the forward entry door skin cutout. This AD requires repetitive inspections for cracking in the upper corners of the forward entry door skin cutout, and repair if necessary. Accomplishment of this repair or a preventive modification terminates the repetitive inspections. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct cracking in the doorway upper corners, which could result in cabin depressurization.